Review: Russian spy-thriller ‘Red Sparrow’ stoops too low

Thursday

Mar 1, 2018 at 12:01 AM

By Dana Barbuto More Content Now

The Russian spy-thriller “Red Sparrow,” from director Francis Lawrence, is a warped feminist revenge story that doesn’t seem all that far-fetched in our political climate where the word “collusion” and Russia’s interference in the 2016 election dominate daily headlines. Morsels of truth probably fuel this crazy cat-and-mouse espionage adventure. It is after all, based on the 2013 novel by the same name written by former CIA operative Jason Matthews.

But make no mistake, “Red Sparrow” is just more of the same Hollywood misogyny in which sex is used as a weapon for exacting revenge. The mood is not that different from the recent “Atomic Blonde,” except another Oscar-winner, in this case Jennifer Lawrence, dons the platinum wig. As Dominika Egorova, the “sparrow” of the title, Lawrence possesses the superpowers of sex and seduction in transforming from irreparably injured Bolshoi ballerina to kick-ass spy motivated by a need to care for her seriously ill mother (Joely Richardson).

Piling on to this ridiculous plot is the ludicrously named — all apologies to Chekhov — Uncle Vanya, the deputy director of the Russian security services (SVR). He’s played by Matthias Schoenaerts, who brings a whole new definition to creepy uncle in making his niece an offer she can’t refuse. So, off she goes to spy school, where it’s bullets to the head “if you can’t be useful to the state.”

During her training to be a covert operative, Dominika is physically assaulted, humiliated and dehumanized under the watch of the great Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”) playing the cold Matron. Nevertheless, Dominika persists; otherwise there’d be no movie. She masters the art of psychological manipulation and exploiting weakness. Eventually, the script couples her with an American CIA agent, Nate Nash, (Joel Edgerton), stationed in Budapest. Genre trappings about double agents, double crosses and protecting assets take over. And no spy picture is complete unless there’s a mole to flush out among the supporting players (Jeremy Irons, Ciarán Hinds, Bill Camp, Thekla Reuten, Sakina Jaffrey). Mary-Louise Parker delivers the movie’s best performance as a boozy chief-of-staff to a U.S senator. She gets caught up in a plot to sell state secrets. Too bad there isn’t more of her.

Francis Lawrence, who directed the other Lawrence (no relation) in the last three installments of “The Hunger Games,” makes clear in this era of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements that he believes a woman who stands up against a looming threat serves to inspire. But is that true when you dress the woman in a black lace thong and shoot her closeup from behind, more than once? As the script repeats, it’s a “sacrifice for a higher purpose.” I think we all know the intention. Female empowerment is the last thing on anyone’s mind when Jennifer Lawrence is full-frontal naked, or later when she’s waterboarded or beaten to a bloody pulp, more than once.

Aside from this warped sense of feminism, “Red Sparrow” turns out be a by-the-numbers spy flick. An absorbing first act gives way to worn-out espionage pap abetted by underdeveloped characters and repeated bursts of gratuitous violence. You can practically hear the thud when Justin (“Revolutionary Road”) Haythe’s script hits the wall and sells out to one ridiculous twist after the next, most of them unearned. The movie just doesn’t have the necessary dramatic heft to justify any of these turns, especially the big reveal at the end.

Lawrence’s performance is nothing special, either. She can do tough and strong-willed in her sleep, but mostly all she’s called on to do is suffer pain and abuse. That leaves you wishing for a film that would take advantage of her talent, rather than her looks. When a film stoops this low, it’s no wonder this “sparrow” leaves me seeing red.

— Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@ledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.